Universal shelves Nehru-Edwina film; director blames government

New York: `Indian Summer`, the much-hyped Hollywood project about the alleged romance between Edwina Mountbatten and Jawaharlal Nehru, has been cancelled with the director blaming the wrangling between the Indian government and the studio as the reason.

Universal Pictures has put the film, which was to go on the floor in India early next year, on hold, `Variety` magazine online reported. "We were in between a rock and a hard place. The Indian government wanted us to make less of the love story while the studio wanted us to make more of the love story," said director Joe Wright. Starring Hugh Grant and Kate Blanchett as Lord and Edwina Mountbatten, the film was troubled from the start after the Indian government voiced concerns over the plot, which focused on Edwina`s romance with the country`s first Prime Minister. Officials demanded copy approval of the script and eventually gave the film the green light, but the project continued to be plagued by money problems, with bosses at Universal reportedly fretting over the estimated USD 30-40 million costs. Bureau Report